The Washburn Observer

Volume 3, No. 2 • Fall 2013 • www.astro.wisc.edu

New Faces in the Department This Fall

Inside This Issue he Astronomy Department welcomes the Charee Peters has an MA degree incoming 2013–14 class of graduate students, in physics from the Fisk-Vanderbilt Letter from the Chair 2 T visiting faculty and postdocs. Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program and a John Chisholm Bitten by BS degree in physics from the University Astronomy and Travel Bugs 3 Elijah Bernstein-Cooper has a BS degree in phys- of Denver (Colorado). She is working with Professor Eric Wilcots on observing SKA Pathfinders: A Bright ics, with an astronomy emphasis, from Macalester Radio Future 4 College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is working with HI regions (interstellar clouds of neutral Professor Snezana Stanimirovic to answer what hydrogen) in intermediate galaxies to Department Welcomes better understand star formation, galaxy Second Grainger Fellow 5 role atomic hydrogen plays in the formation of molecular hydrogen in giant molecular clouds. formation and evolution, and/or cosmic Solar System’s in Good magnetic fields. Hands with Anne Kinney 6 Yi-Hao Chen has an MS degree in astrophysics For Garret Frankson, from Ludwig-Maximillian University in Munich, Brianna Smart has a BS degree in astron- Astronomy Is a Passion 6 Germany and a BS degree in physics from National omy and physics from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She is working with News Notes 7 Taiwan University in Taipei. He is working with Professor Sebastian Heinz on studying the effect senior scientist Matt Haffner on studying of magnetic fields on propagation of jets from the ISM using the Wisconsin H-Alpha compact objects. Mapper (WHAM).

Tim Haines has a BS Andrea Vang has a BA degree in physics degree in physics, from Carleton College in Northfield, mathematics and Minnesota. She is working with senior computer science, scientist Marsha Wolf on observations of with an electrical and post-starburst galaxies. computer engineer- ing emphasis, from Associate Professor Tony Wong from the University of the Department of Astronomy at the Missouri in Kansas University of Illinois at Urbana-Cham- City. He is working paign is a fall sabbatical visitor. He has with Professor Elena previously held research positions at the D’Onghia on using Australia Telescope National Facility graphics processing and the University of New South Wales. The incoming 2013–14 class of graduate students: from left, Yi-Hao Chen, units to increase the He primarily studies the interstellar Charee Peters, Stephen Pardy, Elijah Bernstein-Cooper, Andrea Vang, Brianna speed and resolution medium (ISM) in nearby galaxies and its Smart, and Tim Haines of both cosmological- relation to star formation. Specifically, scale and galactic-scale simulations. his research interests include the global structure of the ISM in disk galaxies, Stephen Pardy has a BS degree in physics from studies of the ISM in the Large Magel- Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is lanic Cloud, and molecular line mapping involved in projects on the atomic and molecular of GMCs in the galaxy. Born in Law- ISM in galaxies. He is working with Professor rence, Kansas, he is a U.S. and Austra- Elena D’Onghia. lian citizen. He received an MA Continued on page 5 The Washburn Observer

Letter from the Chair

explores the interaction between ionized Enjoy the rest of this newsletter, and gases and electromagnetic fields in both best wishes for the fall season. astrophysical and laboratory settings. We overlap with the Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Depart- ments through gas dynamics, plasma Ellen Zweibel physics, handling of large data sets, and Astronomy Department Chair innovations in hardware. We share an interest in planets — here in the solar system and orbiting other stars — with Make a Gift: the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences If you wish to make a and Geoscience Departments. Our popu- tax-deductible gift to the lar Life in the Universe course (Astron- Department of Astronomy omy 160) — team-taught by astronomy, Fund, which allows the department biology, and geology faculty — is just to support special opportunities one example of how interdepartmental for students, staff, and faculty, you synergism helps to enrich the campus. can contribute online at www. In the next few years, we’ll be discussing astro.wisc.edu (click on Friends & Alumni, Make a Gift) Ellen Zweibel, Astronomy Department Chair options for broadening our undergradu- ate major to give our students more or he start of the fall semester always opportunities to study and work at the send a check, payable to the UW Foundation, to: UW Foundation, brings a surge of energy, and for the boundaries of different disciplines. Allied T US Bank Lockbox 78807, Milwau- UW Astronomy Department this year, a programs in the School of Education help kee, WI 53278-0807. sense of newness. We have a new depart- us to educate more effectively, and to ment chair (me), a new dean (John Karl help our graduate students become Questions may be directed to Scholz), and a new chancellor (Rebecca better educators. Department of Astronomy Profes- Blank). The latter two are economists, We have bonds with other Wiscon- sor Bob Mathieu, mathieu@astro. and I am a theoretical astrophysicist with sin institutions as well. Three faculty wisc.edu, (608) 890-3767 or UW a specialty in plasma astrophysics. members from other UW campuses have Foundation Director of Develop- Though just a few months into my visitor appointments that bring them ment Chris Glueck, chris.glueck@ three-year term as chair, I already have to the department regularly, and we’re supportuw.org, (608) 265-9952. much to learn. The overarching goal is launching an astronomy course taught Thank you for your support! simple. My job is to help the Astronomy jointly with faculty at the College of Department do its job — the best re- Menominee Nation (CMN) in Keshena search, teaching, and outreach that we’re that will be open to CMN and UW capable of doing. We have great ingredi- students alike. Please Keep in Touch: ents: telescopes, computers, coffeemakers Finally, academic exchanges are We’d like to hear from you. of every description, and above all, tal- great opportunities to broaden our scope. Please send any news we can ented and energetic people of all ranks — In addition to our weekly Colloquium include in future newsletters or any from undergraduates to senior scientists speakers and short-term visitors, this fall changes in your contact informa- tion to: [email protected] and faculty, supported by excellent staff. we’re delighted to host Maggie Turnbull, or UW-Madison Department of Our success is due in part to being an independent scholar who researches Astronomy, 475 N. Charter St., embedded in a great university. We’re methods for finding planets that can Madison, WI 53706, Attn: Barb connected to the Physics Department support life, and sabbatical visitor Tony Sanford. through our joint interests in high-energy Wong, a radio astronomer from the Uni- astrophysics, pursued through programs versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign And tell us if you prefer to receive an in cosmology, x-ray astronomy, the who works on star formation in other electronic copy of the newsletter. IceCube project, and the recently formed galaxies. Alex Lazarian and Bob Mathieu Like us on Facebook: Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics have returned from their sabbatical UW Madison Astronomy Department Center. We’re also connected to Physics leaves with fresh perspectives, while and the College of Engineering through Matt Bershady and Snezana Stanimirovic Follow us on Twitter: @uwastro the plasma physics program, which have just begun theirs.

2 John Chisholm Bitten by Astronomy and Travel Bugs

ohn Chisholm is certainly not the first “Small-scale events like supernovae Idea, John enjoys outreach. For example, Jgraduate student to be bitten by both add energy to the surrounding interstel- he helped to run a summer program the astronomy and travel bugs. Nor is he lar medium, heating it up and stopping at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, likely to be the last. stars from forming out of cold molecular Wisconsin, helping middle school stu- This past summer, John was one of gas,” he explains. “This ties in with the dents to build handheld telescopes and 29 visiting international students at the project that I’m doing now, looking at observe the moon and planets. One of Summer Institute in Taiwan. Under a cold molecular and hot ionized gas and the perks that came with the program: National Science Foundation (NSF) East seeing the connections and interactions “I lived in an old observing room and Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for between the two.” He was awarded a got to play with the big telescope.” He U.S. Graduate Students (EAPSI) Fellow- Hubble Space Telescope grant for the core has also been an active participant in the ship, he worked with research fellow Sa- part of his thesis work on outflows and Universe in the Park program, which toki Matsushita at the Academia Sinica, the interaction of the temperature phases introduces people to telescope-views of learning how to do submillimeter data of outflows in many galaxies with a wide the night sky in Wisconsin state parks. “I reduction in his study of stellar feedback range of properties using the Hubble like to open people’s eyes to the wonders in the life cycle of gas. Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS). astronomy has to offer,” he adds. John also has the distinction of being Outside of work, John likes to stay the department’s only current gradu- “I like to open people’s eyes active. “I love hiking and camping in ate student who’s been to the Southern to the wonders astronomy Colorado, where my grandparents live. African Large Telescope (SALT). As part I’ve gone there my whole life, and it’s of the Fabry-Perot commissioning team, has to offer.” one of my favorite places to be in the he went with scientists Marsha Wolf and — John Chisholm whole world,” he says. Along with UW Eric Hooper to characterize the instru- football, he enjoys getting into statistics ment and learn how it works after his with fantasy football, which he says ap- first year of graduate study. John grew up in Madison. It was an peals to his weird, sporty, nerdy side. His research interests are observa- astronomy course in his senior year at “I love what I’m doing,” says John. tional galactic evolution, specifically West High School that intrigued him. “I “I like having something to think about feedback processes that help to regulate always liked math and science, and to see on a higher level than day-to-day things. star formation and shape the evolution of the puzzle of big galaxies was fascinating With its spatial aspects, sizes, ideas, and galaxies over the course of cosmic time. to me,” he recalls. He begged his dad to concepts, astronomy is a different plane Now in his fourth year, he is working buy him a telescope, and his interest in of existence that puts everything else in a with Professor Christy Tremonti to see astronomy was piqued. He received a BS different perspective.” He would like to how optical and radio morphologies of in physics from Boston College, which do his postdoc abroad. galactic outflows correspond. didn’t offer an undergraduate degree in astronomy. He did a Research Experiences for The Washburn Observer is the newsletter of Undergraduates (REU) program in phys- the Department of Astronomy at the University ics at UW-Madison with Professor Jim of Wisconsin-Madison. Lawler, calculating transition probabili- 475 N. Charter St. • Madison, WI 53706 ties of rare-earth elements needed to cali- Email: [email protected] brate observations. He then joined the Website: www.astro.wisc.edu Astronomy Department and has since Chair of the Department of Astronomy: Professor Ellen Zweibel been working with Professor Tremonti. “The department is very open and Editor: Barbara Sanford welcoming,” says John. “People like to Contact for gifts information: Professor Robert Mathieu talk with each other, exchange ideas, [email protected] • (608) 890-3767 and collaborate. Everyone’s interested in Christopher Glueck, UW Foundation what others are doing, and everyone’s [email protected] • (608) 265-9952 door is open. It’s great to be a grad stu- Design: Wisconsin Alumni Association® dent in this kind of environment.” In the true spirit of the Wisconsin John Chisholm hiking at Tre Cime (Three Peaks) in Sesto, Italy

3 The Washburn Observer

SKA Pathfinders: A Bright Radio Future

t’s an exciting time to be a radio Iastronomer. The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) and its precursors are open- ing up a whole new way to do radio astronomy,” says Professor Eric Wilcots. The UW Astronomy Department is an integral partner to a number of collabora- tions preparing the science programs for these pathfinder missions.

SKA. At the center of a new genera- tion of astronomical facilities will be a revolutionary new radio telescope, the SKA. Radio telescopes can study the universe in ways not possible at other wavelengths, because both the emission processes of radio light and the tech- The SKA will span over an area of approximately one square kilometer in Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. niques used to observe it are fundamen- Image courtesy of SKA/Swinburne Astronomy Productions tally different from all other parts of the spectrum. The SKA will answer ques- standing for the Karoo Array Telescope, astronomy, it really is possible to teach an tions about the link of gravity to other sharing the name with an adorable, small old dog new tricks. fundamental forces, the origin of dark species of mammals native to South energy, and the role played by magnetic Africa). It will be the largest array in the UW Projects fields in the formation and evolution of southern hemisphere until the SKA is stars, galaxies and galaxy clusters. It will completed. LADUMA. Professors Eric Wilcots and allow astronomers to search for planets, Matt Bershady are members of the watch stars form, trace the evolution of ASKAP. The Australian SKA Pathfinder LADUMA (Looking at the Distant Uni- galaxies, and piece together the structure (ASKAP) is a next-generation radio in- verse with the MeerKAT Array) project, of the Milky Way Galaxy. terferometer being built by the Common- an ultra-deep survey looking for neutral With a collective mirror area of wealth Scientific and Industrial Research hydrogen in the early Universe. With around a square kilometer, the SKA will Organisation (CSIRO) in western Austra- 5,000 hours of MeerKAT observations, be the world’s premier imaging and lia. With its large field of view, ASKAP they will study the evolution of hydro- survey telescope. Fifty times more sensi- will be an excellent survey telescope, well gen gas in galaxies over the last 9 billion tive than any other radio telescope, it will positioned to make substantial advances years. They are particularly interested in survey the sky at least 10,000 times faster in the area of galaxy formation and gas the internal motions of galaxies, in small than the best current-day telescopes — evolution in the Universe, and well suited galaxies without much gas, and in clouds truly a quantum leap in performance. to study the transient radio sky. of neutral hydrogen that are seem- Part of the SKA is being built in Australia ingly not associated with any individual and part in South Africa. The construc- JVLA. While the U.S. National Radio galaxy at all. To complement LADUMA, tion of the first elements of the SKA is Astronomical Observatory (represent- they are using SALT (Southern African expected to start in 2016, with the array ing the National Science Foundation) Large Telescope) optical spectra to help to be completed by 2024. The first science is not an active participant in the SKA in stacking the radio data from hundreds is expected to commence in 2019. consortium, technological advances have of galaxies to determine the average gas On the way toward the SKA, South made breakthroughs in radio astronomy content of faint objects that would Africa and Australia are building two possible right here at home, too: the 2011 otherwise be unobservable. The LADUMA new pathfinder telescopes — almost like upgrade to the Jansky Very Large Array team comprises 67 astronomers from scale models of the full array — to enable in New Mexico (named after famous UW nine countries on five continents. Pre- early science and iron out the kinks. alumnus Karl Jansky) has brought this liminary observations will begin with the 40-year-old workhorse of radio astronomy completion of the first seven MeerKAT MeerKAT. South Africa is currently into the 21st century, making it up to 8,000 dishes and fully ramp up when the array building MeerKAT (“meer” being the times more efficient, in large part by going is completed. Afrikaans word for “more,” and KAT from analog to digital technology. In radio Continued on next page

4 Department Welcomes New Faces continued from page 1 in astronomy and a PhD in astrophysics Second Grainger Fellow from the University of California-Berke- ley, and a BA in physics, astronomy, and his fall, the Department of Astronomy welcomes Dr. Aleks astrophysics from Harvard University. TDiamond-Stanic as its second Grainger Postdoctoral Fellow. Aleks is interested in the co-evolution of galaxies and Visiting Assistant Professor Maggie their supermassive black holes, and the role of feedback in Turnbull (PhD, University of Arizona; regulating star formation. BS, UW-Madison) is teaching Astrono- The Grainger Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Department of my 104, Exploration of the Solar System, Astronomy’s first prize fellowship, is generously funded by The Grainger Foundation. and is helping to develop an undergrad- “I’m very impressed by the positive working environment in the department and uate planetary science certificate. She is a look forward to starting new projects with people here using facilities like SALT and freelance astronomer and astrobiologist WIYN, and taking advantage of the UW’s partnership with MANGA,” says Aleks. at her own nonprofit organization, the Outside of work, Aleks enjoys playing ultimate frisbee and is an avid reader of Global Science Institute, based in Antigo, non-astronomical fiction. He was a Center for Galaxy Evolution Fellow at the Univer- Wisconsin, who searches for signs of sity of California-San Diego, and received his PhD in astronomy from the University extraterrestrial life. She is internationally of Arizona (Tucson) and BA in physics from Carleton College (Northfield, Minnesota). known for her work cataloging poten- As a grad student, he worked and co-authored a paper with Hubble Fellow tially habitable planets and even has an Christy Tremonti, who is now a professor in the department. They have been close asteroid named after her (7863 Turnbull). collaborators ever since. But his Wisconsin roots go even deeper. Aleks’s parents were She was named to Wired magazine’s grad students at UW. His father’s name is on an Iron Cross Society plaque at Memo- “Smart List 2012: 50 People Who Will rial Union. “My mother was pregnant with me when they moved to Athens, Georgia. Change the World.” As an undergrad, I could have been a Wisconsin native,” says Aleks. Maggie worked with Professor Bob Mathieu and research scientist Barbara Whitney. SKA Pathfinders continued from page 4 GASKAP. Professor Snezana Stanimirovic CHILES. Professors Eric Wilcots and Carlos Vera-Ciro and Bob Lindner and scientist Bart Wakker are part of the Matt Bershady; former Badgers D.J. are new postdocs. Carlos received his GASKAP (Galactic ASKAP) survey to Pisano (West Virginia University), Laura PhD from the University of Groeningen study the 21-cm neutral hydrogen “spin Chomiuk (Michigan State University), (Netherlands) and MsC and BA in phys- flip” emission line and the 18-cm lines and Kelley Hess (University of Cape ics from the University of Medellín (Co- of hydroxyl in the Galactic plane and Town); and new grad student Charee lombia). He primarily works on galactic Magellanic Clouds. The project is one of Peters are involved in CHILES (COSMOS dynamics, focusing on the effect of radial the 10 survey science projects selected HI Large Extragalactic Survey). CHILES migration on the overall structure of the as top priorities for the first five years of will use the JVLA to measure hydrogen stellar disk of systems like the Milky ASKAP operations. Several additional gas masses, morphology and kinematics Way. Other interests include dwarf department members (Professors Jay for at least 300 galaxies spanning a wide galaxies, stellar streams, and the proper- Gallagher, Alex Lazarian, and Ellen range of masses and environments at ties of the dark-matter distribution in the Zweibel, and scientist Matt Haffner) plan significantly larger distances than exist- Local Group. to join GASKAP science exploration once ing surveys. Bob received his PhD in physics the data start flowing. Our department has a long-standing and astronomy from Rutgers University research emphasis on the physics of in- (New Brunswick, New Jersey) and BS 21-SPONGE. Stanimorovic, with terstellar gas, ranging from forming stars in math, physics, and astronomy from graduate student Claire Murray, post- to galaxy clusters. The SKA pathfinders UW-Madison, where he was a member doctoral fellow Robert Lindner, and will allow observational studies directly of Dan McCammon’s x-ray astrophysics undergraduate students Nick Pingel aligned with this expertise that will offer group. He studies the physical proper- and Al Lawrence, are also undertaking us a unique opportunity for discovery. ties of neutral hydrogen clouds, the a large pathfinder project with the JVLA “A coordinated observational-theoretical- seeds of star formation, in the Milky called 21-SPONGE (21-cm SPectral line numerical approach will enable us to Way as a member of the 21-SPONGE Observations of Neutral Gas with the take full advantage of upcoming observ- project with Professor Stanimirovic. He Enhanced JVLA). It is the most sensitive ing facilities in the next decade and make is also interested in understanding the neutral hydrogen absorption line survey a big stride forward in understanding formation and evolution of massive gal- in existence and is a pathfinder toward galaxy and star formation and evolution,” axies and clusters at high redshift using GASKAP. says Wilcots. radio and sub-mm observations.

5 The Washburn Observer

Solar System’s in Good Hands with Anne Kinney nne Kinney pleased to be asked to join its Board of astronomy, Kinney has demonstrated Ahas one of Visitors,” she says. “The department has that accretion disks in the center of active the best jobs in the had a big influence on the field. I meet a galaxies lie at random angles relative to federal government lot of UW grads out in the world and am their host galaxies; compiled a spectral system: Director of always proud of my UW affiliation.” She atlas of galaxies across wavelengths that the Solar System. is also nostalgic about the UW because was used for the Hubble Deep Field Kinney’s for- her parents met on Bascom Hill. observations of distant galaxies; and mal title is Director This spring, Kinney hosted a group published papers on quasars, blazars, ac- of the Solar System of BOV members at the Goddard Space tive and normal galaxies, and signatures Exploration Division at the National Flight Center and scheduled special talks of accretion disks in active galaxies, col- Aeronautics and Space Administration’s and tours. These included a talk by UW laborating on some with UW Professors (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center grad and instrument scientist Rick White Jay Gallagher, Linda Sparke (emerita) in Maryland. Since 2006, she has led on the UW instrument that flew on the and Matt Bershady, and UW graduate a group of 110 scientists that designs, Hubble Space Telescope, and a tour by student Chris Conselice (PhD 2001), now builds, launches, and operates instru- UW grad Ron Oliversen of the Magne- a professor of astrophysics at the Univer- ments to every planet in the solar system, tometry Lab that builds instruments to sity of Nottingham (UK). including one of the main instruments measure magnetic fields. She credits her father and her travels on Mars rover Curiosity. “I do every part Kinney describes a typical day for her astronomy career. “My father of the care and feeding of a large group as “run, run, run, run, run.” She has and I spent a lot of time looking up at of scientists,” she says. “We do a lot of monthly, one-on-one meetings with lab the stars together, and he told me what strategic planning, and I keep the group chiefs and office heads. “I spend a lot of the constellations were,” she recalls. And at the cutting edge of their work.” time listening to people and talking with while sleeping on a beach in Greece as She received the Presidential Rank them — mostly listening — to make sure an undergrad, she looked up at the stars, Award, the federal government’s highest they know what’s going on in the orga- planets, and manmade satellites in the honor, in 2012 and the NASA Outstand- nization and I understand their problems exquisitely dark skies and started think- ing Leadership Award in 2011 and 2005. and issues,” she says. ing about astronomy. She then returned Kinney, a UW alum, received a She was previously Director of to the UW to study math, physics, and BA with honors in astronomy-physics the Universe Division in the Science astronomy. in 1975. She was a graduate student of Mission Directorate at NASA headquar- Growing up in a Frank Lloyd physics at the University of Copenha- ters. There she managed more than 30 Wright-designed house in Lancaster, gen’s Niels Bohr Institute, and received science missions, including the Hubble Wisconsin, southwest of Madison, con- a PhD in astrophysics from New York Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray sisting “of a double hexagon with two University in 1984. Observatory. parallelograms attached, where the clos- She joined the Board of Visitors Kinney was also the instrument sci- ets are triangles, and where the obtuse (BOV) last fall. “I have a longstand- entist on one of the original instruments angle in one room is the complement of ing relationship with the UW and have to fly with the Hubble Space elescope,T the acute angle in the adjacent room,” as stayed in touch with the Astronomy the Faint Object Spectrograph. she describes it, may also have sparked Department since I graduated. I was As an expert in extragalactic Kinney’s interest in math and science.

For Garrett Frankson, Astronomy Is a Passion ndergrad Garrett Frankson some- tor Jim Lattis responded to his request my telescope, and it evolved into a pas- Utimes misses out on social engage- by opening the observatory and inviting sion.” ments because he wants to look at just Garrett to check out the nova. Born in Madison, Garrett grew up in one thing in the sky with his telescope. “I’ve been interested in astronomy nearby Oregon, Wisconsin. Now a junior, Inevitably, he ends up spending an entire my entire life,” says Garrett. “I’ll never he is majoring in astronomy-physics evening looking at it. forget seeing Saturn for the first time when and working on stellar flares with NSF He recently emailed Washburn my parents got me a telescope when I was Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoc- Observatory to ask if they’d be willing to seven years old. I bought an astronomy toral Fellow Ben Brown (now at the Kavli open up the observatory to view a rare, book at my elementary school book fair Institute for Theoretical Physics at the naked-eye-visibility nova that he saw on and probably read it a hundred times. I University of California-Santa Barbara) social media one night. Space Place direc- kept reading and exploring the skies with and Professor Ellen Zweibel. Rapid, Continued on next page

6 News Notes Congratulations, Graduates! University of California-Santa Barbara, faculty position as a research investment Undergraduates: Jonathan Heile; followed by a tenure-track appointment fellow in the Department of Physical Christopher Hilgenberg (pursuing as assistant professor at his alma mater, Sciences at the Open University, based a PhD in physics at Colorado State the University of Colorado-Boulder. in Milton Keynes, UK. He remains at the University); Jack Honor; Matthew The department’s first Grainger Post- department as a part-time scientist. Huang; Steffi Klawiter; Matthew doctoral Fellow Alyson Brooks is now an Graduate students Ben Tofflemire Kleist; Karissa Metko; Jessie Otradovec assistant professor at Rutgers University’s and Katelyn Milliman attended na- (pursuing a PhD at the University of Department of Physics and Astronomy in tional, weeklong schools this summer. California-Berkeley); Nickolas Pingel New Brunswick, New Jersey. Graduate student Doosoo Yoon attended (pursuing a PhD at the University of West a weeklong summer school in Heidel- Virginia); Michael Ramuta (at Working Department News berg, Germany. Planet Marketing Group, Providence, Bob Mathieu was appointed interim Erin Middlemas and Zach Griffith, Rhode Island); and Maximillian director of the Wisconsin Center for Research Experiences for Undergradu- Westphal (at Ohio State University Education Research (WCER) at the UW- ates (REU) students from last summer, Medical Center in Columbus). Madison School of Education. He has led have joined the UW-Madison Physics a number of research projects at WCER, Department as graduate students. Awards including the Center for the Integration Graduate student Corey Wood was of Research, Teaching, and Learning Board of Visitors awarded a NASA Earth and Space Sci- (CIRTL), funded by the National Science Andrew Afflerbach (PhD in astronomy, ence Fellowship. Competition was keen, Foundation. He was also named a Vilas 1996), CEO and director of engineering with 114 applicants and only nine awards Distinguished Achievement Professor. for CTC Technology and Energy (Kens- given out. Scientist Eric Hooper is serving as ington, Maryland), has joined the Board interim director of the WIYN Observa- of Visitors. He was Professor Ed Church- Departures tory on Kitt Peak in Arizona. well’s student in the mid-’90s. NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Space Place director Jim Lattis Ken Ciriacks has resigned from the Postdoctoral Fellow Ben Brown has left was promoted to the rank of full faculty Board of Visitors and will be senior advi- for a final postdoctoral year at the Kavli associate. sor to the board, with deep thanks from Institute for Theoretical Physics at the Postdoc David Wake has accepted a the department.

Garrett Frankson continued from page 6 time-resolved spectroscopy of the stars the Air Force ROTC. YZ CMi (YZ Canis Minoris) and Proxima Garrett wants to be an Centauri, the closest star to our sun, astronaut. “How cool to using the South African Large Telescope be one of the select people (SALT) allows them to study how a flare chosen to lead a NASA evolves over time. exploration mission to the “I’m impressed beyond words with moon or Mars!” he says. “I Garrett’s drive, engagement, and excite- follow a lot of astronauts ment,” says Brown. “He’s done excep- on Twitter. Their work is tional work.” Garrett emailed depart- so exciting and never mo- ment postdocs, faculty, and scientists to notonous. One day you’re inquire about summer projects after his a plumber, the next day an freshman year at UW-Platteville. He be- astronomer, and the day gan working with Brown before starting after that a medical doctor. Garrett Frankson at the Cloud Peak summit in the Big Horn Mountains classes at UW-Madison. And you get to do it all in of Wyoming Outside of school, Garrett enjoys zero gravity.” playing ultimate frisbee, backpacking, “I love it here at the says Garrett. “I can’t thank my family camping, reading, and astronomy. He is UW. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to enough. I wouldn’t be where I am today an Eagle Scout and a member of the Na- take classes and could just work with Ben without them,” he adds. tional Society of Leadership and Success, all the time analyzing data and drawing UW’s Badger Aviators flying club, and up plots for our stellar flares project,”

7 The Washburn Observer Nonprofit Org. Volume 3, No. 2 • Fall 2013 U.S. Postage PAID Permit #658 Sterling Hall 475 North Charter Street Madison, WI Madison, WI 53706-1582 JEFF MILLER, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS JEFF

Autumn leaves cover the ground in front of the Washburn Observatory

group of fifth-grade students A from the greater Dane County area participated in the College for Kids program at UW Space Place in June. They completed scale models of the solar system using modeling clay. This is a very popular educational activity that provides a vivid insight into the range of masses of the planets that we all already know about. And, by the way, Pluto is included in each of the models on the far right. College for Kids is sponsored by the UW-Madison School of Education.